The OER Knowledge Cloud makes use of cookies. By continuing, you consent to this use. More information.
Deconstructing disengagement: analyzing learner subpopulations in massive open online courses
Kizilcec, René F. · Piech, Chris · Schneider, Emily

PublishedApril 2013
ConferenceLAK '13: Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge
Pages 170-179
CountryUnited States, North America

ABSTRACT
As MOOCs grow in popularity, the relatively low completion rates of learners has been a central criticism. This focus on completion rates, however, reflects a monolithic view of disengagement that does not allow MOOC designers to target interventions or develop adaptive course features for particular subpopulations of learners. To address this, we present a simple, scalable, and informative classification method that identifies a small number of longitudinal engagement trajectories in MOOCs. Learners are classified based on their patterns of interaction with video lectures and assessments, the primary features of most MOOCs to date.

In an analysis of three computer science MOOCs, the classifier consistently identifies four prototypical trajectories of engagement. The most notable of these is the learners who stay engaged through the course without taking assessments. These trajectories are also a useful framework for the comparison of learner engagement between different course structures or instructional approaches. We compare learners in each trajectory and course across demographics, forum participation, video access, and reports of overall experience. These results inform a discussion of future interventions, research, and design directions for MOOCs. Potential improvements to the classification mechanism are also discussed, including the introduction of more fine-grained analytics.

Keywords MOOC · learner engagement · trajectories of engagement

Published atCalifornia
LanguageEnglish
RefereedYes
DOI10.1145/2460296.2460330
Export optionsBibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar


Viewed by 565 distinct readers




CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS

The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.

Click a star to be the first to rate this document


POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS

Digging deeper into learners' experiences in MOOCs: Participation in social networks outside of MOOCs, notetaking and contexts surrounding content consumption
Veletsianos, George; Collier, Amy; Schneider, Emily
Researchers describe with increasing confidence what they observe participants doing in massive open online courses (MOOCs). However, our understanding of learner activities in open courses is limited by researchers' ...
Match: Schneider, Emily

MOOCs for professional teacher development
Jobe, William; Östlund, Christian; Svensson, Lars
A MOOC is a trending concept in education that is disrupting traditional methods of learning consumption. The emergence and use of MOOCs for professional teacher development is still uncommon, but on the verge of ...
Match: MOOC; United States

Designing for quality: The understanding dementia MOOC
King, Carolyn; Kelder, Jo-Anne; Doherty, Kathleen; Phillips, Rob; et al.
The introduction of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a vehicle for education delivery presents opportunities and challenges. In the context of the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre (Wicking Centre), ...
Match: MOOC

Merging MOOC and mLearning for increased learner interactions
de Waard, Inge; Koutropoulos, Apostolos; Hogue, Rebecca J.; Abajian, Sean C.; et al.
In this paper, the authors suggest the merger of the Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) format and mobile learning (mLearning) based on mutual affordances of both contemporary learning/teaching formats to investigate ...
Match: MOOC

Learning creative, learning MOOC
Pascariello, Maria Ines; Cocchiarella, Luigi
The work here presented concerns the realization of a MOOC hosted by a platform (www.europeanmoocs.eu), developed by the University of Naples Federico II under a CIP European Program, offering services to a variety of ...
Match: MOOC

Challenges of identifying second language English speakers in MOOCs
Duru, Ismail; Sunar, Ayse Saliha; Dogan, Gulustan; White, Su; et al.
In this study, we aim to analyse English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a First Language (EFL) MOOC participants' engagements in a MOOC. We aim to find out key points which directly effect learners' dropout ...
Match: MOOC

MOOCs and universities: Competitors or partners?
Ong, Beng Soo; Grigoryan, Ani
MOOC or ‘Massive Open Online Courses’ is the recent phenomenon in the education industry with the proliferation of players such as Coursera, Udacity, NovoEd, EdX, and Khan Academy. MOOCs are free to students, and ...
Match: MOOC

MOBIMOOC 2012: A new tree structure for the delivery of Connectivist MOOCs
Rodriguez, Osvaldo C.
Based on the explicit principles of connectivism (autonomy, diversity, openness and interactivity) and on the activities of aggregation, remixing, repurposing and feeding forward resources and learning, connectivist ...
Match: MOOC

MOOCing on up? Experiences of an elusive course completer
Malin, Joel R.
In this article, I apply autoethnography to recount and analyze my experiences as a recent enrollee and course completer of a massive open online course (MOOC). Research surrounding MOOCs heretofore has been ...
Match: MOOC

Exploring the MOOC format as a pedagogical approach for mLearning
de Waard, Inge; Koutropoulos, Apostolos; Keskin, Nilgün Özdamar; Abajian, Sean C.; et al.
This paper takes a look at the MOOC format as a possible pedagogical approach to fit mobile learning (mLearning) based on mutual affordances of both contemporary learning/teaching formats. The paper presents a case ...
Match: MOOC